What's your relationship with your DA character?
- a. self-insertion as self
- b. self-insertion as Mary Sue or aspirational self
- c. fantasy friend, family member, significant other, or role model
- d. roleplaying a specifically imagined character without wish fulfillment
- e. live the life of someone else vicariously
- f. the character is just a vehicle for story and lore
- g. the character is just a vehicle for action and gameplay
- h. other (specify)
For me it's almost always a mix of b and c, specifically someone I both want to be and I want a close relationship with in terms of appearance, personality, and ethics/choices.
Edit: I’d like to add an option, which I find myself playing on secondary play throughs:
- i. self-inversion, pretending to be someone that’s completely different from you just to feel what it’s like
Edit 2: Thanks to all who responded! Even though I didn't reply much, I read all of your answers so far and have tallied the following statistics:
Total responses as of 11AM PDT SUN 23MAR2025 (including my own, excluding secondary responses)
- 115
Percentages by letter (add to more than 100% due to the ability to choose more than one answer)
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33% | 23% | 10% | 69% | 13% | 21% | 4% | 4% | 3% |
Most common combos (including those who responded with additional choices)
- A and D 21%
- B and D 11%
- D and F 11%
Self-insertion (A or B)
- 49%
Self-Insertion and/or wish fulfillment (A, B, or C)
- 54%
Comment: no surprise that role-play dominates, although I'm a bit surprised that self-insertion/fantasy companion only account for about half of the responses, especially with C being at only 10% given my impression of gamers, especially in the RPG genre. I'm of course biased due to my own play style, and I may very well be in the minority, although we understand that fandom can differ markedly from a broader player base, and there is a likely selection bias to both who visit this sub and those who decide to respond.